Pros:

Cons:

As the technology, presentation and popularity of games grow, they have evolved to support film more completely and naturally than ever. Unusual, though, is the game designer that escapes the time pressures and confines of the franchise title. Star Wars titles regularly underwhelm the film series' unflappable fans, and Enter The Matrix was an exercise in hype vs. results. Even though these films offer elements that should be perfect for gamers and developers alike, the games themselves rarely hit the mark.

Such is the case with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. If you're a fan of the series and are, for some reason, averse to picking up the DVD, the game has been fully supported by the film, with deleted scenes, real voice actors and even documentaries featuring the stars themselves. It could be a true compliment and expansion for fans of the film. Unfortunately, the game itself is a poor Doom retread, haphazard in design and offering little to non-fans.

The core of the game is a first person shooter that simply can't hold a candle to other offerings on this console. While the PS2 isn't known for a glut of top notch first person shooters, even what it does offer (like XIII or even the aging Medal of Honor series) outpaces this title. The mission design, taking place in seemingly random parts of the film's storyline, consists mostly navigating unreadable but linear maps, toggling through gaming standard weaponry, and punching fellow cyborgs in the head.

There are a few oddities in the design. One major one is that weapons that Ah-nold is carrying around may run out of ammo, but don't drop out of his inventory. This means you will scroll through weapons to an available one, only to find yourself clicking away with a roundless weapon. The hit detection, as well, seems implemented by the blind. Several weapons, at a distance, destroy mobs of enemy robots after firing in their general direction.

The Terminator doesn't stand a chance against the newer model T-X.

Much like Enter the Matrix, T3 has a visual dullness. For games that are a part of movie series built on its visual flair, its certainly a missed opportunity. This is particularly cruel to the reliably beautiful Xbox. You'll wander through squalid environments, gun down unimaginative and poorly animated enemies, all under dull and lifeless lighting. The weapons in the early levels all have a generic sci-fi look to them, steel and glowing which odd green light. Once you hit the main "present day" levels, though, you're back into the realm of shotguns and machine guns with little to tickle your fancy. Animations are depressingly awkward in places, enemies have very little detail to distinguish them besides superficial coloring.